Condensation heat transfer and flow characteristics of R-134a flowing through corrugated tubes

This article presents the condensation heat transfer and flow characteristics of R-134a flowing through corrugated tubes experimentally. The test section is a horizontal counter-flow concentric tube-in-tube heat exchanger 2000 mm in length. A smooth copper tube and corrugated copper tubes having inner diameters of 8.7 mm are used as an inner tube. The outer tube is made from smooth copper tube having an inner diameter of 21.2 mm. The corrugation pitches used in this study are 5.08, 6.35, and 8.46 mm. Similarly, the corrugation depths are 1, 1.25, and 1.5 mm, respectively. The test conditions are performed at saturation temperatures of 40–50 °C, heat fluxes of 5–10 kW/m², mass fluxes of 200–700 kg/m² s, and equivalent Reynolds numbers of 30000–120000. The Nusselt number and two-phase friction factor obtained from the corrugated tubes are significantly higher than those obtained from the smooth tube. Finally, new correlations are developed based on the present experimental data for predicting the Nusselt number and two-phase friction factor for corrugated tubes.     

Effect of thermophysical properties models on the predicting of the convective heat transfer coefficient for low concentration nanofluid

The term of nanofluid refers to a solid–liquid mixture with a continuous phase which is a nanometer sized nanoparticle dispersed in conventional base fluids. In order to study the heat transfer behavior of the nanofluids, precise values of thermal and physical properties such as specific heat, viscosity and thermal conductivity of the nanofluids are required. There are a few well-known correlations for predicting the thermal and physical properties of nanofluids which are often cited by researchers to calculate the convective heat transfer behaviors of the nanofluids. Each researcher has used different models of the thermophysical properties in their works. This article aims to summarize the various models for predicting the thermophysical properties of nanofluids which have been commonly cited by a number of researchers and use them to calculate the experimental convective heat transfer coefficient of the nanofluid flowing in a double-tube counter flow heat exchanger. The effects of these models on the predicted value of the convective heat transfer of nanofluid with low nanoparticle concentration are discussed in detail.     

On the thermal cooling of central processing unit of the PCs with vapor chamber

An experimental investigation on the thermal cooling of vapor chamber for cooling computer processing unit of the personal computer is performed. Two different configurations of the vapor chambers with de-ionized water as working fluid are tested under the real operating conditions of PCs. Parametric studies including different aspect ratios, fill ratios, and operating conditions of PC on the CPU temperature are considered. It was found that the vapor chamber cooling technique has significant effect on the thermal cooling of CPU. Average CPU temperatures obtained from the vapor chamber cooling system are 4.1%, 6.89% lower than those from the conventional cooling system for no load and 90% operating loads, respectively. In additional, this cooling system requires 6.89%, 10.53% lower energy consumption for no load and 90% operating loads, respectively. The results of this study are of technological importance for the efficient design of cooling systems of the personal computers or electronic devices to enhance cooling performance.     

Experimental and numerical study on heat transfer and flow characteristics in an alternating cross‐section flattened tube

An experimental and numerical study on convection heat transfer of water flowing through an alternating cross‐section flattened (ACF) tube are investigated in this paper. The thermal‐fluid characteristics were evaluated by numerical simulation. The test run conditions covered a mass flux of 200 to 800 kg m^?2 s^?1, a heat flux of 10 kW/m², and an inlet temperature of 40°C. The results showed that the Nusselt number increased with the increase in mass flux. Moreover, the heat transfer was also affected by the flow characteristics. Vortices were formed at the curved wall, and their intensities were increased along the flow direction. It was also found that the heat transfer and pressure drop were larger than that of the circular tube. However, the thermal performance was greater than the pressure loss penalty. The comparison results showed that the ACF tube had better performance than the circular tube. Further, the details of heat transfer, flow resistance, and fluid behavior were investigated and discussed in this study.     

A Visual Study of Two-Phase Flow Patterns of HFC-134a and Lubricant Oil Mixtures

The two-phase flow patterns of HFC-134a with lubricant oil mixtures inside a smooth horizontal tube were experimentally elucidated. Tests were performed in an inside diameter of 7.8 mm having a lubricating oil concentration of 5%. Tests were made of mass fluxes ranging between 150 and 590 kg/m 2 s. The most obvious difference from oil-free cases reported is the presence of froth flow pattern. Apparently, this flow pattern is related to the increase of surface tension and viscosity. With the presence of lubricant oil, the onset of transition from stratified flow region to annular flow regime shifted to a lower value of superficial gas velocity. In addition, the tearing phenomenon of the refrigerant-oil mixtures may be related to its relevant properties such as wettability and surface tension.     

Investigation on power output of the gamma-configuration low temperature differential Stirling engines

This paper provides a study on power output determination of a gamma-configuration, low temperature differential Stirling engine. The former works on the calculation of Stirling engine power output are discussed. Results from this study indicate that the mean pressure power formula is most appropriate for the calculation of a gamma-configuration, low temperature differential Stirling engine power output.     

Numerical investigation of refrigerant flow through non-adiabatic capillary tubes

A mathematical model is developed to study flow characteristics in non-adiabatic capillary tubes. The theoretical model is based on conservation of mass, energy and momentum of fluids in the capillary tube and suction line. The mathematical model is categorized into three different cases, depending on the position of the heat exchange process. The first case is considered when the heat exchange process starts in the single-phase flow region, the second case is determined when the heat exchange process starts at the end of the single-phase flow region, and the last case is considered when the heat exchange process takes place in the two-phase flow region. A set of differential equations is solved by the explicit method of finite-difference scheme. The model is validated by comparing with the experimental data obtained from previous works. The results obtained from the present model show reasonable agreement with the experimental data. The present non-adiabatic capillary tube model can be used to integrate with system models working with alternative refrigerants for design and optimization.     

Two-phase flow model of refrigerants flowing through helically coiled capillary tubes

This paper presents a numerical study of the flow characteristics of refrigerants flowing through adiabatic helically coiled capillary tubes. The theoretical model is based on conservation of mass, energy and momentum of the fluids in the capillary tube. The two-phase flow model developed was based on the homogeneous flow assumption. The viscosity model was also based on recommendations from the literature. The developed model can be considered as an effective tool for designing and optimizing capillary tubes working with newer alternative refrigerants. The model is validated by comparison with the experimental data of Kim et al. (2002) for R-22, R-407C and R-410A, and Zhou and Zhang (2006) for R-22. The results obtained from the present model show reasonable agreement with the experimental data. The proposed model can be used to design helical capillary tubes working with various refrigerants.     

Cyclic microwave-assisted spray synthesis of nanostructured MnWO4

MnWO₄ with nano-plates in flower-like clusters was produced from the mists of the solutions containing MnCl₂·4H₂O and Na₂WO₄·2H₂O at different pH values by 300-900 W cyclic microwave radiation. The phase was detected by XRD and SAED, and was in accordance with that of the simulation. The flowers were characterized using SEM and TEM, and their lattice planes using HRTEM. The vibration spectra were characterized using Raman and FTIR spectrometers. Their photoluminescence is at 409-420 nm.     

Onset of flooding in a small diameter tube

The main concern of this work is to obtain and investigate the experimental data of the onset of flooding (OSF) for air and water in a small diameter tube. Flooding experiments are carried out in a tube having an inner diameter of 8.75 mm and the length of 1 m at inclination angles of 0, 30, 45, 60° from the vertical. The curves of the OSF are built and shown as a function of the dimensionless superficial velocity. The effects of the inclination angles of the small diameter tubes on the OSF are discussed. The present results are compared with existing limited data reported in literature.